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Winless in the Big Ten, Penn State regroups for Halloween date with Purdue

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Penn State spent its open date this weekend trying to break a four-game losing streak before Purdue visits Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31. The Nittany Lions are 3-4 overall and 0-4 in the Big Ten in Matt Campbell’s first season as head coach.

Penn State opened with three nonconference wins over Marshall, Temple and Buffalo, then lost to Wisconsin, Northwestern, USC and Michigan. The skid ended in a 21-18 loss at Michigan on Oct. 17 in which three turnovers by quarterback Rocco Becht led to 21 Michigan points, Sports Illustrated’s Penn State site reported. StateCollege.com columnist Mike Poorman pointed to a second-half collapse against Wisconsin and Northwestern’s success running the ball as other low points for the defense.

Despite calls from some fans for a change, Campbell said at his only bye-week news conference on Oct. 20 that Becht will remain the starter. “We have complete faith in Rocco Becht,” Campbell said, according to Penn State on SI. Backup Alex Manske, a second-year player who missed spring practice after heart surgery, will have his chance later, Campbell said, but “that time is not right now.”

Campbell also signaled he does not plan sweeping lineup changes. Penn State has started the same offensive line in all four Big Ten games, and Carson Hansen and James Peoples have taken over at running back, SI reported. “I’m a what’s-right-now kind of guy,” Campbell said. “But the reality of this is, we have to form an identity, and we have to form who we’re going to be.”

One possible boost is receiver Koby Howard, who led the team in receiving during the nonconference schedule but has missed all four Big Ten games with an injury. Campbell said Howard should return to practice within about 10 days and called his availability for Purdue questionable, while praising how quickly he has progressed. Receiver Chase Sowell had a career game at Michigan, giving the offense another option if Howard returns.

Purdue arrives with the same 3-4 record but a 2-2 mark in conference play. The Boilermakers are also coming off a loss and an open week, StateCollege.com reported. The Big Ten set kickoff for 4:15 p.m. on the Big Ten Network, the sixth different start time in Penn State’s eight games this season.

The game carries bowl implications. Penn State needs two wins in its last five games to reach 6-6 and become bowl eligible. After Purdue, the Nittany Lions play at Washington on Nov. 7, host Minnesota on Nov. 14 and Rutgers on Nov. 21, and finish at Maryland on Nov. 28. Poorman noted that a loss to Purdue would leave Penn State needing three wins in its final four games. Recent projections from USA Today, On3 and ESPN’s Mark Schlabach have Penn State missing the postseason, while others project a Dec. 26 appearance in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, N.C.

SI reported no signs that the locker room is splintering. Players said Becht was so dejected after the Michigan loss that he struggled to address the team, and teammates rallied around him. Tight end Andrew Rappleyea, who was on last year’s team, said after the USC loss that players had turned on one another during a previous slide but promised that would not happen this time because of the coaching staff.

Campbell spent part of the week on the road recruiting and said he would not give playing time to players simply to persuade them to stay in the program next season. “We’re not in a hope business. We’re in a matter-of-fact business,” he said. Penn State has 16 players in their final season of eligibility, which points to another busy offseason of roster turnover.

Penn State and Purdue kick off at 4:15 p.m. Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

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